by I remember when I first downloaded Instagram, Instagram was just a simple photo-sharing app. The app inspires people to capture and share moments from their lives visually and creatively. And it still does to this day.
But tell me why, at 13, I thought taking a picture of my unicorn was SO cool. I took many photos of it and would choose one to edit it for hours. And I don’t know why, but my middle school self thought taking a picture of my unicorn plushie could help me reach A-level celebrity status. On top of that, I was so proud of my photographs, and I took this unicorn to school, the plane, and the hospital. I would hope so badly for someone to come to me and ask, “OMG, that’s Fred the Unicorn!”.
I know it was stupid to think like that. I was ashamed of taking pictures of my unicorn (because it was my favorite); it was more so the picture itself. It wasn’t appealing and is not what you call “aesthetically pleasing” to others. So if I made Fred the Unicorn an A-level celebrity, what would his photos look like now?
People with large followings often have specific characteristics in their posts. One of them is high-quality visuals. They use high-resolution images and professional editing techniques. For Fred, we would be able to see details on his sunglasses. We’d also be able to see what kind of clothes he’s wearing.
Another characteristic is to have a cohesive theme or aesthetic. Successful accounts have consistent palettes and filters to create a visually pleasing feed. Consistency makes their content easily recognizable and helps establish their brand or identity. Take Kim Kardashian, for example. She coordinates her themes with the outfit she wears and the product she promotes. When one of her spring collections launched, the color was pink, as was the theme on her entire Instagram page. If only I knew this, most of Fred’s Instagram wouldn’t have looked so dark, gloomy, and inconsistent.
Finally, the third characteristic is to have storytelling and authenticity. It allows the creator to connect with their audience on a deeper level and establish trust with their engaging content. Being true to themselves and sharing meaning can help build a loyal community supporting and engaging with them consistently.
Overall, Fred, the Unicorn, didn’t have the best post. I don’t have Fred any more, and social media back then and now has changed. Posting has become a lot more elaborate, with more editing and techniques needed to engage with more followers and build an online presence. With that being said, visuals, consistency with themes, and storytelling are the three factors that can help create visually appealing content for Instagram.
Connect with me on Linkedin Hannah Kim
I think It’s super cool that you used a personal experience of yours to explain why you think you didn’t receive a lot of engagement on your posts as opposed to others. When I post, I never really think of the consistency of the themes of my photos. Keeping my content consistent in terms of theme and editing will definitely come to mind next time I go to post on Instagram.
Your post made me laugh because I was the same way growing up! I would spend hours taking pictures of things around me (flowers, the sky, etc.) and then edit to so excessively. I think it’s interesting how it’s now “cooler” to have a more casual feed. I’m curious to see what instagram will look like in 10 years and what will be the new trendy feed next.
Hi! I enjoyed this post. I enjoy thinking about the difference of purposeful and calculated content versus posting just anything. We seem to moving in a direction that is less curated, but I agree that all of these factors are consistent when it comes to popular pages (celebrities, influencers, brands). It can be super helpful to step back and assume why content is or is not successful.
Hi Hannah!
This is SO relatable. I archived all my old Instagram posts and get a kick out of them every once and a while. Instagram has changed over the past 10 years drastically and the “aesthetic” aspect has taken over. I understand why it has, but I also wonder if will Instagram ever become casual again. It’s so calculated and curated now – even with the photo dumps – I miss being able to post whatever – unicorns and everything.
Hi Hannah!
I loved this post and enjoyed reading it. It kept me interested in how you connected it back to your unicorn and made me laugh! I like how you used Kim Kardashian as an example because when I’ve looked at her profile before, I’ve noticed a hint of pink in every picture of hers. It makes her whole Instagram feed look pretty and connects each post.
Hello!
I was the SAME way when it came to Instagram in middle school. Everyone just had to see that I was the world’s biggest Taylor Swift fan and what my Starbucks order was (very 2014, I know). In a way, it almost makes me sad to see how much social media has changed. I feel like Instagram went from a platform to share interests, exciting updates, and just random photos from our days to something entirely too curated. I wonder how it will evolve in the future. Good job!